Auxiliary rudder for irrigation ditchers



A TTORNEYv O v 1930- R. c. CHATTIN AUXILIARY RUDDER FOR IRRIGATION DITCHERS Filed ma 22, 1929 i Patented Oct. 7, 1930 xemE fSTATE-s PATETNTQOFFI'CE.

ROBERT c. cnn'r'rlmcniaogrsn, inArro, Assrenon, isY MEsnEfAssIenirnNtnjs, TO umv- HAM.MANUFAGTURING COMPANY, or BOISE, IDAHO; ACORPORATION"QEMUTAH nu xrnmny nunnnn r012. mmea'rroivmronnns 5 cause theforward earth cuttingparts of the ditcher to make a better cut and to deliver the cuttings further up on the ditch bank from the wing side of theditcher. in a more satisfactory manner than previous constructions. j a i In large diteheshavinga wide bottom a single; guide plate or rudder on the land side of the ditcheras informer constructionsfis often insufficient to hold the land side parallel with the ditch bank unless a considerable ad ditional weight is placed 011 the rear end of the machine. Withtheadjustable auxiliary rudder-hereinafter described the weight of the rearend of the machine is increased materiall-y and the land side is held more securely frorndateral movement due to the increased surface :offthe rudders cutting into the ground. Further, by use of the auxiliary ruddersuch ashereindisclosed ainuch wider ditch may be worked'with the same machine due to the fact 0f the land side being held arallel and {out of. contact with. the ditch ank adjacent the land side of the machine. a A further object of the invention is to pro videan auxiliary rudderfthat is adjustable to various distances relative to thefland side of the ditcher and always in tion therewith. a

A further object is to provide a detachable auxiliary rudder ortail piece forthe general purpose :above described. w The preferred embodiment of the invention is shown in the accompanying drawings in which-Q .1 i Fig. 1 is a plan view ofthe rear end of a land side of anirrigation ditcher showing myimproved auxiliary rudder in connection therewith a Fig. 2 is=a side elevation from the land side of Fig.1.: i 1

l i As is usual with irrigation ditchers the forparallel rela- 1929. Serial No. 365,101.

wardendof the maehineis similar to a plow and the land side herein indicated is the rear portion of the "land side of. an irrigation ditcher, the front portion thereof not being shown. This land side 1 isusually a metal plate adapted to be utilized in a vertical plane and is usually provided with a flange2 on the inside thereof .to which is attached a} plate 3 011 which the operatormay stand orron which weights may be gplacedjwhen it is desired to cause-the rudderto. enter the groundwith greater certainty. Arudder4,aswill beobserved from Fig. 2, is attached to therear end of the land side l and extendsto a distance therebelow and the forward edge ofthe main rudder slopes forwardly and upwardly to approximatelytheflower edge of theland 7 side 1.

The main ditcher, cutsinto the surface of the ground and tends to hold the land side from being swerved out of parallel relationjwith the ad j acent ditch bank by thepressure of the earth removed by the wing side as will be readily understood b those familiar with this form 1; often happens and especially of ditcher.

rudder, in the operation of the with hardsurfaced ground that the lower edgeofthe rudder does not readilyent'er the ground materially below the lower edge of the land side 1' and for this purpose it hashere tofore been the practice to weight-therearend of the machine to insure the mainirudder cutting intothe ground to anextent to hold i V the land 1 side from being swerved out of parallelism with the adj acent ditch bank, 1

By my improved attachment 1am able to double or more than double the amount of rudder surface that enters-the 'groundand thus with greater certainty hold the land side of the machine from being swerved.

The preferred construction ofan auxiliary rudder and the manner of itsadjustment is shown fully int-he accompanying drawings. in which 5 indicates the auxiliary rudder which is practically a'duplicate of themain rudder 4c attachedto the land side. This rudto'the front and rearrespectively of the auxiliary rudder by means of bolts 5? which extend through a flange 8 provided on the inner face of the auxiliary rudder and apertured to receive the bolts. There is also provided on the auxiliary rudder a second flange 8 shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2 in spaced relation with the flange 8 through which the bolts 5 extend.

The land side 1 is also provided with an apertured flange 9 of angle iron form bolted thereto and a similar flange in spaced rela tion therebelow as indicated in Fig. 2. The links or channel bars 6 and 7 are attached at their inner ends to bolts 11 passing through the apertures in the flanges 9 and 10 on the land side. It is to be noted that the bolts by which the members 8 and 8 and the members 9 and 10 are secured to the respective rudders are removable and that the main and auxiliary rudders are respectively provided with rows of upper bolt apertures 12 and 13 and rows of bolt apertures with in termediate rows on the main rudder for the bolts 14 and 15 on the auxiliary rudder en abling the rudders to be raised or lowered relative to the land side 2 thus permitting the rudders to cut into the ground to a greater or less extent as may be found desirable according to the looseness or hardness of the soil. The members 6 and 7 are formed of channel iron and fit between the outwardly projecting flanges of the angle irons attached to the respective rudders.

By means of these channel iron bars or connecting links 6 and 7 the auxiliary rudders may swing forwardly or backwardly of the position shown in Fig. 1 the forward position being shown in Fig. l by dotted lines and to maintain the auxiliary rudder in any ad: j usted position I provide a chain 16 connected at the forward edge of the auxiliary rudder after the manner indicated and extending forwardly thereof and connected to the land side which is provided with a keyhole slot 17 permitting a portion ofthe chain to be passed therethrough and a link of the chain inserted in the narrow or slot like portion 18 of the aperture. v

By pulling the chain forwardly through the aperture the auxiliary rudder is brought outwardly from the land side and by increasing the length of the chain by pulling the same rearwardly through the aperture it is brought to closer relation with the land side. In any position of adjustment it is to be noted that the plane of the auxiliary rudder is always parallel with the plane of the land side and main rudder 4c. The flanges 8 and 8 and 9 and 10 are provided with a series of apertures 19 and 20 respectively which permits various adjustments of the auxiliary rudder forward- 1y or backwardly of the position shown. Thus, all desirable adjustments of the auxiliary rudder relative to the main rudder may be accomplished by a simple and inexpensive structure and its distance from the land side may be quickly varied as occasion demands. By attaching the members 6 and 7 to the angle irons 9 and 10 on the land side by means of removable bolt-s the auxiliary rudder is made readily attachable or detachable so that the ditcher may be used in the formation of ditches of various widths. If the ditch be narrow it may be unnecessary to utilize the auxiliary rudder and if wide. the. auxiliary rudder is used to increase the resistance of the land side from being moved out of parallelism with the adjacent bank with which itis out of contact. Thus, the ditcher is adapted by my'improved auxiliary rudder for use with ditches of varying widths and its utility therefore increased.

Having thus briefly described my inven tion, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent. of the United States is- 1. The combination with a land side of an irrigation ditcher having a rudder at its trailing end adjustable vertically relative thereto to increase or decrease the depth to which the'bottom edge of the rudder may enter the ground, of an auxiliary rudder consisting of a plate, means for'connecting the plate to the land side to'hold the same in parallel relation with the rudder, means for varyingthe position of the auxiliary rudder toward or from the land side, and means for adjusting the auxiliary rudder in a vertical plane relative to the land side.

2. The combination with the land side of an irrigation ditcher having a plate at its t "ailing end extending below the lower edge of the land side and providing a main rudder, of an auxiliary rudder consisting of a similar plate, a pair of spaced bars pivoted to the land side and to the auxiliary rudder on vertical axes, means for varying the points of pivot connection of the bars forwardly or backwardly relative to the auxiliary rudder, and an element connecting the auxiliary rudder to the land side at a point forward of the main rudder by which the auxiliary rudder may be adjusted forwardly or rearwardly in a plane parallel with the plane of the land side and its d istance from the face of the land side thereby increased or decreased.

3. The combination with the land side of an irrigation ditcher having a plate at its trailing end providing a rudder the lower edge of which enters the ground surface in the operation of the ditcher, of an auxiliary rudder consisting of a similar plate, means for attaching the auxiliary rudder to the land side, said means being adapted to maintain the auxiliary rudder in a plane parallel with the land side and main rudder, means for adjusting the position of the auxiliary rudder to a greater or less distance from the land side, and means for adjusting the auxiliary rudder in a plane parallel with the plane of the main rudder to increase or decrease the depth to which the auxiliary rudder may enter the ground. I Q4. The combination with the land side'of an irrigation ditcher having'a main rudder at its trailing end, of an auxiliary rudder similar in form, the auxiliary rudder and land side each'being provided with a lateral flange on the adjacent faces of the respective members, a pair of bars pivotally connected at the opposite ends with the respective flanges permitting the rudder to swing about the points of connection with the land side and adapted to maintain the auxiliary in aplane parallel with the main rudder, a flexible element connecting the forward end of the auxiliary rudder to the land side at a distance forward of the main rudder, means for varying the length of the flexible member whereby the position of the auxiliary rudder relative to the land side may be dee termined. a

5. Inan irrigation ditcher, a land side occupying a vertlcal plane, a plate detachably secured to the trailing end thereof and adg5 justable in a vertical plane to vary the depth towhich the rudder may enter the surface of the ground, an auxiliary rudder pivotally connected tothe outer face of the land side, said auxiliary rudder consisting of a plate, 6 a pair of vertically spaced lateral flanges on adjacent faces of each of the land sideand auxiliary rudder, both said pair of flanges havinga seriesof apertures therein extending. longitudinally of the flanges, a bar having end portions fitting between the flanges of the respective members at the opposlte ends of the bar, each of said ends havin an aperture to register with the apertures of the respective flanges, a second bar of the same 440 character extending between the flanges in spaced relation with the first bar, bolts extending through said flanges and bar ends providing pivotal connections between the auxiliary rudder and theland side and permitting movement of the auxiliary rudder forwardly or backwardly in a vertical plane with consequent variation in distance of the auxiliary rudder from the landside, a

flexible element connected to-the auxiliary 59 rudder and connected with the-land sideconsiderably forward of the main rudder and adjustable in length to cause the auxiliary rudder to assume a predeterminedposition and distance from the landside, the said bars being adjustable forwardly or backwardly in the said flanges, said auxiliaryrudderfurther having a series of apertures permitting the flanges to be attached thereto at various distances from the bottom edge .to vary the depth to which the auxiliary rudder may enter the ground. In testimony whereof I sign this specification.

ROBERT OHATTIN'. 

